As soon as he guessed her errand, The giant poked the fire Till it roared, and hissed, and crackled, Till the flames curled high and higher, And billows of smoke and cinders From the chimney-top rolled out, And darkened the sky at noonday, And shadowed the land about. Then he filled ten billion barrels With the soot that trickled down, And up through the chimney hurled them, Up through the chimney brown; And lo! when the morning’s sunlight Shone through the clouds of smoke, In those two wicked cities Neither prince nor beggar woke; For the soot from the giant’s chimney Had deluged the country wide; And over those wicked cities It rolled in a turbid tide. All in the night They were buried from sight. “Ha, ha!” laughed Giant Jungenthor, “Is Winnikin satisfied?” And this was the fairy’s errand When she came another time: “O Jungenthor, a monarch Has builded a palace fine; Aided by dwarf and elfin He has builded it tall and grand. With marble white from the quarry, Not hewn by mortal hand; For night by night In the pale moonlight Did we hammer and delve away, To get the great stones ready For the workmen of the day. O Jungenthor, we labored, Behold, for a thankless King! For he has cut down the forest Where oft, in a merry ring, Did the fairies dance and frolic, Or among the branches swing. After all our toil and trouble He has destroyed our trees, And the sight of his gorgeous palace Winnikin does not please.” As soon as her story ended Did the angry giant frown; He lifted his voice of thunder, And the palace toppled down. Oh! he roared so loud That the frightened crowd Fled from the tumbling town, And the thankless monarch stumbled, And fell, and broke his crown. And forth from his firelit cavern Did the giant peep and grin, Then growled at the fay beside him— “Does _that_ please Winnikin?” And such were the fairy’s errands, As from time to time she came To Jungenthor the giant, Feeding the flood of flame; And such were the tales she told him Of trouble, and wrong, and grief, And thus and so Would the giant go To Winnikin’s relief. Once came the fairy, weeping, “O Jungenthor!” said she, “O mighty giant, listen To the news I bring to thee.